


And We Finally Meet

by Hidetouken



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, I stayed up way too late to finish and edit this but it's too late to turn back now, Light Angst, M/M, and the angst goblin writes some more fluff who else is surprised by this pattern, love these dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 08:05:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15859599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hidetouken/pseuds/Hidetouken
Summary: Kaneki is nervous to meet Hide's parents and isn't expecting it to go well.





	And We Finally Meet

His hands shook as he failed to get the button through the hole again. 

“Damn it,” he muttered, dropping the pieces of fabric before sighing and grabbing the end of his shirt again to reattempt to get the button done

“Here, let me help you with that,” Hide said, taking Kaneki’s hands and slipping the fabric out from them. He deftly buttoned the last few buttons on his boyfriend’s shirt and crinkled his eyes at the other in what Kaneki could only take as a smile. 

“There we go,” He said after a moment, somehow managing to make the robotic voice he now had sound pleased. Kaneki smiled back and smoothed out his shirt to give his anxious hands something to do.

“Thanks, Hide,” he answered softly. 

Hide reached up and ruffled Kaneki’s hair and shook his head.

“You need to calm down,” he said, “We’re just going to see my dads for some coffee. It’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kaneki mumbled back. Hide was their son, of course they would be happy to see him. But Kaneki? He was the one who left their son with no warning and took away his smile and voice, leaving only scars in their place. There was no way they would react well to finally meeting him.

“You have that look on your face that says you’re thinking something negative,” Hide chided, breaking Kaneki’s line of thought as he poked him in the forehead. Hide was giving him a serious look and Kaneki shrunk under it. 

“Sorry, Hide, I’m just nervous,” Kaneki tried, hoping the topic would be dropped. He knew Hide didn’t like it when he blamed himself for what had happened between them over the years and he didn’t want to bring Hide’s mood down with him. “We should probably get going soon if we’re going to be on time?” He tried instead. 

Hide held his gaze for moment longer before softening the look in his eyes and nodding. Kaneki almost sighed in relief. He just wanted the whole ordeal to be over with.

The two finished getting ready in silence, Kaneki fixing his collar to try and hide the marks on his neck and pulling a maroon sweater on over top and Hide deftly trying one of his many bandanas around the lower half of his face to cover his scars. He wasn’t in the habit of wearing it around the apartment anymore, but he didn’t like the looks he got in public when he went out without it. 

The train ride there was quiet. Kaneki was still uncomfortable while out in public. He always feared that someone would recognize him and rightfully force him out of the space or get upset by his presence, and this time was no different. 

He had kept his head down while in the station, following hide’s feet to the platform, and now found himself looking nervously around the train car, his eyes looking for signs of recognition and hostility. 

He felt a hand take his about halfway through the ride and give his a quick squeeze. Looking over at Hide he found the other looking at him with a soft look in his eyes. 

“Everything’s fine, Ken,” He said, pulling Kaneki close to him, “We’re almost there just a few more stops. 

Kaneki nodded and stopped looking around at the faces on the train for recognition, relieved that they would be getting off soon. His relief was short lived though as he remembered that once they arrived at their destination he would have to face Hide’s parents. 

He started fidgeting with the hem of sleeve and he heard Hide sigh besides him. He took Kaneki’s hand’ back and gave it another squeeze. Smiling softly at the act of comfort Kaneki squeezed back and took a deep breath to calm himself down. 

He spent the remainder of the train ride watching Hide as the other looked out of the window at the passing city.

 

 

When they arrived at the cafe Hide led them inside, his hand still firmly holding Kaneki’s, and asked the server for a table someplace private. She nodded and led them to a booth in the back of the cafe that was open. Hide gestured for Kaneki to sit down first, knowing that he would most likely like to be as out of site as possible, and Kaneki was grateful for his boyfriend’s thoughtfulness as he took his seat. Hide slid in next to him and grinned at Kaneki with his eyes. 

“We’re waiting one two more people,” Hide said as he turned back to the waitress, “But for now can I have one iced latte with a straw, and a black dark roast for him?” It touched Kaneki that Hide knew his order, but the warm feeling he got as a result was muddled with nervousness at the reminder that they would be joined by Hide’s father’s soon.

The two of them were quiet while they waited for their drinks. Kaneki was lost in his head, unable to stop worrying about how the meeting would go. He kept replaying the worst case scenarios in his head: Hide’s father’s yelling at him, calling him all the horrible things he deserved to be called; the two of them refusing to speak and just staring at him accusingly; the two of them convincing Hide to leave with them because he deserved better...

As the thoughts raced through Kaneki’s mind so did the numbers.  _ 1,000….993….986…. _

He didn’t realize he had been counting aloud until he felt two firm hands clasp down onto his shoulders. The action startled him and abruptly pulled him out of his head and back to reality. He was met with Hide’s worried face

“We don’t have to do this,” Hide said, concern evident in the way he spoke, “We can cancel and just go home.”

Kaneki felt guilty; he must have worried Hide a lot if he was offering to cancel now. He had been looking forwards to this all week.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he shook his head at the other. 

“N-No, it’s fine Hide,” He managed to answer, “I’m fine,  _ really _ ,” he added for emphasis. Hide wanted this, so Kaneki would push himself through it for the other, no matter how anxious it made him. Hide deserved at least that much.

Hide studied him or a few more moments, worry still evident on his face, before sighing and pulling Kaneki in close.

“Breath with me?” He asked and Kaneki nodded hesitantly. 

Hide began to draw in a deep breath, held if for a moment, and then slowly let it out. Kaneki mimicked him shakily for a few repetitions before his own breathing began to steady. The two of them continued for a few moments longer before Kaneki slowly pulled away.

“Thanks Hide,” Kaneki said after a moment, his voice steadier than it had been before.

Hide slid his hands down Kaneki’s arms to take his hands before answering. 

“Promise me you’ll tell me if it becomes too overwhelming, okay?” He said, still clearly concerned.

Kaneki nodded.

“I promise,” He answered despite not being sure that he’d be able to follow through on that.

Hide looked like he was about to say something back, probably to call Kaneki’s bluff, but just then their waitress returned with their order and quietly set down their drinks in front of them before quickly leaving without saying a word, probably sensing the tension between the two of them.

Hide shook his head and let go of Kaneki’s hands, the moment broken, and instead picked up his straw and stirred his drink. Kaneki watched him for a few moments before wrapping his hands around his mug, trying to ignore how they shook. The warmth was comforting but he didn’t want to fuel his anxiety with caffeine just yet so he resisted the urge to taste it.   
  


They continued to wait in silence, Hide playing with his latte, also not drinking, and Kaneki focusing on his surroundings to stay out of his head. After a few minutes the bell over the cafe’s door jingled and the two of them looked up to see who it was. 

Two men had just walked in and judging by the way Hide’s face lit up it was his father’s. Kaneki watched anxiously as Hide raised his arm and began to wave the two over to the table. 

Upon his first look Kaneki noticed that the two men looked nice. They were both smiling as they walked up to the table and Kaneki let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he didn’t find any sense of hostility in their faces.

When the pair arrive at the table Hide jumped up and pulled the two into a hug, leaving Kaneki awkwardly sitting in the booth as he watched the display of affection. After a moment one of the men looked over Hide’s shoulder at Kaneki and smiled. 

“Hello, Kaneki,” He said warmly, “I’m Hideyoshi Karuto and this is my partner Itsuki,” he gestured to the other man, who was roughly a head taller than him, and Kaneki bowed his head in response.

“It’s nice to meet you,” He said meekly, glad that at least his voice didn’t shake as she spoke. He moved his hands to be under the table to hide how they still shook despite how kind the two men seemed.

“Come on now, why don’t you both sit down!” Hide jumped in after a moment, clearly excited, as he gestured to the booth across from the one he and Kaneki had sat in. The two men laughed before nodding in unison and taking their seats. 

Kaneki watched them nervously before he felt a hand take his under the table and give him a reassuring squeeze as if to say  _ “See, everything’s fine!” _ . Kaneki smiled in response and took a deep breath to calm himself down again.

“We’re so glad to  _ finally  _ meet you,” Itsuki said with a smile, “I’m surprised it took this long for Hide to let us,” He laughed a moment later when Kaneki didn’t immediately respond. He sure it wasn’t meant to but it made him feel guilty about never having asked to meet them while growing up.

“He never would let us,” Karuto chimed in before Kaneki’s self deprecating thoughts could take over, “He was always too worried that we would chase away his best friend.”

Kaneki noticed that Hide actually  _ blushed _ at that, and he smiled despite his remaining nerves. It was cute. 

“Well, you two can be pretty intense,” Hide shot back in defense, “I couldn’t have you go and scaring him away now could I?”

The words made what was left of Kaneki’s nerves melt away into a feeling that he couldn’t fully identify, and he was about to apologize for having not asked to meet them as a kid when the waitress returned to take the rest of their orders. 

The two men placed their orders quickly before turning their attention back the two of them.

“So how’ve you both been?” Karuto asked as the waitress walked away. The question took Kaneki by surprise and he found himself struggling to think of how to answer. Hide was quicker than he was; though, and spoke up almost immediately. 

“Pretty busy,” He answered lightly, “We’re still trying to get things running smoothly at the TSC and then there’s helping Touka and Yoriko get their new cafe up and running in our free time.”

The two of them seemed pleased with the answer.

“We’re glad to hear that,” Itsuki said before turning his attention to Kaneki, “Especially for you. We hear you’ve had it pretty rough,”

The concern that they suddenly showed Kaneki shocked him and he felt a familiar bunning in his eyes that he tried to blink away. 

“You always have, and we’re sorry we couldn’t help more,” Karuto added, reaching across the table to place a hand on Kaneki’s shoulder. The warmth was comforting and it caused Kaneki’s eyes to burn even more. Embarrassed, he reached up to wipe at them, avoiding eye contact with the two men across the table. 

“If it’s not too much to ask, we want you to think of us as people you can come to,” Itsuki said, his hand joining his partner’s firmly on Kaneki’s shoulder, “We want to be a part of a place you can call home.”   
  
The words broke the dam inside of Kaneki and he let out a quiet sob and hid his face in his hands. He hadn’t been expecting this and his mind couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to react. 

“I told you it would go well,” Hide said smugly from besides him, nudging his arm with his elbow. 

“Shut up,” he laughed back despite his tears, wiping desperately at his eyes trying to get them to dry. 

“I’m sorry,” he started, taking a shaky breath, “I just wasn’t expecting that...I just….I don’t feel like I–”

“You  _ do _ deserve it” the three of them said, cutting Kaneki off, apparently having read his mind, “You’ve had to go through things that no one would have asked for. You deserve to have a piece of happiness too.”

Kaneki nodded but looked away only to hear one of Hide’s father tsk at the action.

“Now we can’t have  _ that _ ,” Itsuki said, giving Kaneki’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “Stop trying to hide yourself away in that corner and tell us about yourself. After all we’ve only ever had Hide’s version and We’re sure you know how he can be.”

“Hey, don’t make me seem like a liar!” Hide complained from his spot next to Kaneki, “Kaneki’s great I wasn’t lying!”

The two men laughed and Karuto laughed. 

“We’re not saying you’re a  _ liar _ ,” he said, “Just that you can be a bit fantastical when you get excited and we want to see if Kaneki is as engrossed in book as you say he is and such.”

Kaneki laughed lightly at the example and nodded his head.

“Yeah, Hide probably wasn’t exaggerating about that part,” He answered honestly, feeling more relaxed now. 

The two men laughed while Hide looked vindicated next to him.

“I told you I wasn’t lying about how much he loves books,” he said from besides Kaneki.

He was about to ask just how Hide had described that one aspect of his personality to his father’s when the waitress returned with the rest of their order. The four of them all paused to thank her before returning their attention to each other.

“So really, Kaneki, tell us about yourself.” Karuto said.

Kaneki began to relate his interests to the men and Hide jumped in on occasions to add his own input and over the next two hours they all began to get to know one another and Kaneki was happily surprised at how comfortable he felt opening up to the two older men. 

It didn’t feel like too long before Hide of all people declared that he had to get home and go to bed for work. Kaneki suspected that he really was picking up on his own mental exhaustion. Things had gone well, but it was a lot for Kaneki to process at the same time, and he was glad to have an excuse to retreat back to their small apartment and to decompress. 

  
  


Later that night when they were laying in bed and Kaneki was carding his fingers through Hide’s hair, Hide spoke up.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Ken,” He said, giving Kaneki a mildly concerned, but soft, look.

“I’m fine, Hide,” Kaneki reassured, “I’m just... Processing.” 

“You really thought it was going to go horribly, didn’t you?” He replied, raising an eyebrow at Kaneki, “as if I’d let  _ that _ happen.”

Kaneki smiled and nodded. 

“Sorry Hide,” He answered, “but you know that I have a tendency to catastrophize.”

“Yeah, and you know I have a habit of not letting whatever you think is going to happen happen,” He shot back playfully.

Kaneki’s smile softened and he nodded again. That was definitely true. 

“Thank you, Hide,” He said softly after a moment before leaning in to give the other a kiss on the forehead, “I’m glad I finally got to meet them.”

“I’m sure they’re saying the same thing about you right now,” He answered, his eyes grinning.

The idea was still foreign to Kaneki, but it made him feel warm all the same and he let out a content sigh before burying his head in the crook of Hide’s scarred neck. 

“Thank you,” He said again for good measure.

“Stop saying that, you dork,” Hide answered as he ruffled Kaneki’s hair. 

Kaneki laughed as a thought occurred to him.

“So what exactly  _ did  _ you tell them about how much I love books again?”

**Author's Note:**

> *clenches fist* god I just love abuse survivors finding new loving families


End file.
